For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Introduction

A worldview to some degree may be understood through an exploration of the categories that it comprises. In past blog articles, I have delineated five categories by which I seek to understand what goes into the formation of an individual’s worldview: 1)mind; 2)meaning-making; 3)ethics/valuation; 4)humility/finitude; and 5)thought/action. This month’s blog will focus on the over-arching category of mind. Because the goal of this blog is to proffer a Christian worldview, I will explore the category of mind by looking at how the Bible calls Christians to put on the mind of Christ. What exactly does that entail? As believers in Christ, how do we go about fulfilling that charge? And how does putting on the mind of Christ shape our worldview?

Mind, as a topic of exploration, is extensive with a plethora of research from such fields as neurology, neuroscience, cognitive science, just to name a few in addition to the centuries of philosophical approaches in the field of mind studies. Such a broad and in-depth research cannot be recapitulated in short blog articles composed on this sight. I have touched on some of this research [here] and [here]. But in this article I want to address how the Christian’s worldview is shaped when the believer adheres to the Biblical call to put on the mind of Christ. In addressing how mind, our deeply held beliefs and attitudes, shapes our Christian worldview, I specifically focus on two passages: 1 Corinthians 2:16 and Ephesian 4:23. Then I will speak to what Christ called the greatest commandment (Luke 10:27; Mark 12:29-31; Matthew 22:37-40) and how it shapes our view of God and, thereby, our worldview. Suffice it say upfront, to put on the mind of Christ is not something Christians fulfill by their own power. In line with justification, salvation, and sanctification, while human responsibility has its part, the growth and deepening of the Christian’s way of life occurs through the grace of God.

The Mind of Christ

FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Christians must build their worldview on one rock-bottom foundation, the truth of God. Such truth not only speaks to His existence, but to His power, His holiness, and His sovereignty. As believers in Christ, our worldview is built on God as the ultimate foundation, or it is built on nothing at all. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13, addressing the holiness and power of God. Isaiah 40 establishes God’s power, holiness, and sovereignty, declaring that no one counsels God as to what He will do or how He will bring things about. Throughout the Book of Isaiah, the prophet warns Israel and Judah of God’s coming judgment upon them. But with His judgment, also exists His mercy. Isaiah 40 paints a beautiful picture of God’s sovereign power coupled with His lovingkindness, with the promise that He will gather His people as a flock of lambs and carry them in His bosom. Paul addresses both the sovereign power of God and yet another promise that believers have been given in the New Testament. We have the mind of Christ. As people who have been called to be in Christ by the sovereignty of God before the foundation of the world, we have this promise: we have been gifted with the mind of Christ. There is no Christian worldview if we do not stand on the bedrock promises of God. Mind, the way we think and believe, informs our Christian worldview only if we put on the mind of Christ. If we seek to establish a way of living in any other way, we are building a house on shifting sand.

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? We have yet another promise as believers in Christ. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not some Star Wars like force. He indwells us to teach us the ways of God. We come to understand who God is via His word, prayer, relationships within the Body of Christ, the church, and becoming aware of the way His sovereignty and providence works in our lives. The Holy Spirit gifts to us the ability to understand the ways and purposes of God. Such understanding is our sanctification, the living out of what God has planned for us. Although we cannot see or know that plan from beginning to end, we walk in it daily by His grace, and we work out our sanctification. Then, and only then, will our worldview unfold. Hence our worldview is not something we build by our own strength. It becomes manifest through our relationship with God.

God predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-30). Being gifted with the mind of Christ also means that we are empowered to be more and more like Him. In this life, we will always fall short of that reality on a daily basis. But we have been granted the strength that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit and the strength of Christ that also indwells us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our Christian worldview will become manifest if we, by the grace of God, pursue our sanctification, allowing the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit to shape our lives. Sanctification is a daily task. It begins anew each day, yet it through time deepens us in our understanding of the ways of God so that we live out our lives through those ways. We build our Christian worldview only on the bedrock truth of God that He has gifted us through His word. We do not build our worldview via our own power; it manifests itself through our relationship with God, unfolding through our sanctification.

The Greatest Commandment

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. . . (Matthew 22:37)

Our worldview becomes manifest through our alignment with what Jesus called the greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27). The necessity of God’s grace is witnessed yet again in that the only way we have the power to obey the greatest commandment is by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and Christ. How do we know if we are living out the greatest commandment? Jesus shines the light for us so that we know the way. We abide in Him (John 15:1-11). But how do we know that we are in fact abiding in Christ? Again, Jesus tells us. We abide in His love if we obey His commandments. Obeying the commandments of Christ is not a checklist experience; it is a way of living. Through God’s grace we pursue our sanctification and build our lives on His bedrock truth, Jesus being the chief cornerstone (Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11-12). The constant need for the church is to stand on the word of God, His truth, so that we are manifesting what we believe in the eyes of the world. Over the centuries, the church has fallen drastically short of this charge in many ways. Nonetheless, our charge is to be the light and salt, a beacon on a hill for the world to see. We can only accomplish that spiritual reality by building our lives on the truth, which is Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Only Christians, those who believe in Christ for their salvation, can build a truly Christian worldview. Those who claim to hold to the teachings of Christ, yet do not accept His teachings concerning the Father, Himself, and the Spirit are seeking to build lives on shifting sand. There is a second exhortation that makes up the greatest commandment: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Our Christian worldview should reflect how we interact with others, those who are within the body of Christ, and those who are not. Throughout its history the church at times has fallen woefully short of that commandment. Our Christian worldview needs to evidence how we relate to others through the mind of Christ. Although the Imago Dei in human beings allow so much light for people to live, ultimately the truth of God resides only in the eternal logos, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the chief cornerstone, the only pathway for building our Christian worldview. Apart from the mind of Christ, we will fall short in manifesting the truth of God in our lives.

John V. Jones, Jr., Ph.D./June 14th, 2025

THEMATIC/Worldview – Mind